Cover structure of vehicle body outer panel coupling part

Abstract

A cover member of a vehicle body outer panel coupling part covers a step portion with a height difference that is just the thickness of a sheet thickness, by overlapping a roof side rail outer panel, which has a surface that continues to a surface of a vehicle body, on a center pillar outer panel, which has the surface. The cover member comprises: a cover body that is attached to a coupling recess, and is obtained by mixing a magnetic power with a thermoplastic resin; and an adhesive resin layer that is applied to an attachment surface that forms an inner surface facing the center pillar outer panel and the roof side rail outer panel of the cover body.

The invention claimed is: 
     
       1. A cover structure of a vehicle-body outer panel connection portion, the cover structure comprising:
 a first vehicle-body outer panel that is made of a steel sheet and has a surface of a vehicle body; 
 a second vehicle-body outer panel that is made of a steel sheet and has a surface which is continuous to the surface; and 
 a cover member that covers a stepped portion having a height difference by a panel thickness resulted after an end portion of the second vehicle-body outer panel is connected in an overlapping manner to an end portion of the first vehicle-body outer panel, 
 wherein the stepped portion is located in a connection recess portion which is formed by connecting a second bent portion, in which the end portion of the second vehicle-body outer panel is deformed centerward in a vehicle width direction, to a first bent portion in which the end portion of the first vehicle-body outer panel is deformed centerward in the vehicle width direction, 
 the cover member is attached to the connection recess portion and is comprised of a cover body of a thermoplastic resin and a bonding film layer which is applied to an attachment surface forming an inner surface of the cover body facing the first vehicle-body outer panel and the second vehicle-body outer panel, 
 the cover body is comprised of a thick-walled body portion formed with a thickness corresponding to a depth of the connection recess portion at a center thereof and a lip portion which is continuous to the body portion, 
 the body portion is configured by forming the outer surface of the cover body in a convex curved shape, and 
 the lip portion has a wall thickness which gradually decreases from the body portion toward fringes of the cover body, and, of the fringes, a fringe portion of a door seal contacting portion coming in contact with a seal member provided in a door is formed such that the convex curved outer surface of the cover body lies substantially continuously on outer surfaces of the first and second vehicle body outer panels. 
 
     
     
       2. The cover structure of the vehicle-body outer panel connection portion according to  claim 1 , wherein the lip portion is formed in a substantially triangular cross-sectional shape. 
     
     
       3. The cover structure of the vehicle-body outer panel connection portion according to  claim 1 , wherein the cover body is formed by mixing magnet powders with the thermoplastic resin. 
     
     
       4. The cover structure of the vehicle-body outer panel connection portion according to  claim 1 , wherein the cover member includes a painted base film layer applied to an outer surface of the cover body.